


The Defector

by orphan_account



Series: Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Black Widow - Freeform, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Has PTSD, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Bucky Barnes Remembers, Bucky Barnes's Plums, Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Civil War (Marvel), Civil War Fix-It, Deaf Clint Barton, F/M, False Identity, Flashbacks, Gen, International Travel, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark Friendship, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-HYDRA Reveal, Pre-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Protective Steve Rogers, Recovering!Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22256161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Following the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (and Deep Shadow Conditions), Bucky and Kerrigan live a quiet life abroad until the UN is bombed in Vienna.This story is the sequel to Deep Shadow Conditions, and follows up with the two characters from the end of CA:TWS to the end of CA:CW.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1576117
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	1. Run Boy Run

Bucharest, Romania. 2016 - present day. 

Kerrigan saw a metal fist swinging towards her head. It seemed like it was coming in slow motion   
(and like she was moving through molasses), but she reached out for it, twisted it, and forced Bucky to flip onto his back. He was quick too, he held onto her wrist firmly and pulled her down on the ground. He rolled himself over. Now they were face to face as he pinned her down on the roof of their apartment building. He laced his fingers into hers.

“How come we always end up on top of each other, Buck?” She said, trying not to smile.

“I don’t know,” He said. “I guess that’s just how we are.”

He stood, then extended his hand out to her to help her up. They dusted themselves off. The top of the building wasn’t as clean as a training facility, but it was a place where they could both work out and train together without drawing a crowd, since a metal arm tended to attract peoples’ attention. It also beat breaking any more furniture like they had the last time they went at it indoors. 

“I need to shower,” she said, pulling her hair out from the bun it was in. Her forehead glistened with sweat. The two were out in the early morning Romanian sun for an hour, sparring. 

“Me too.” Bucky pulled a long sleeve shirt on. Even though their apartment was only two floors down, neither wanted to risk his arm being spotted.

After the two showered and changed, Kerrigan rummaged through the fridge to find something to eat. To her disappointment, there was only a bottle of water and a bruised apple.

“When’s the last time we went to the market?”

“Tuesday, I think,” Bucky said, drying his hair with a towel.

“So two days ago. How are we out of food already?” She opened the cabinet above the fridge and reached for an envelope of cash. 

“Considering we’re both super soldiers and our last haul was small, it doesn’t really surprise me,” he said shrugging. 

“Do you want to go with me? Or we could split up and get the shopping done faster, then maybe do something, well I don't know, fun?” 

Bucky perked up. “Like dancing?”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” she laughed. She tossed him a shirt to put on - the maroon henley he always looked good in. “Get dressed, I’m starving.”

He turned back into the bedroom and searched for a pair of shorts. Romanian summers were hot, and he figured he would get more looks if he sported jeans and a jacket. Looks were not something he wanted. Bucky stopped before the mirror on the wall and raked his flesh hand through his hair. It was getting long and he had mixed feelings about it. It was best to probably leave it alone for now though. He swiped one of Kerrigan’s hair ties and pulled his hair back into a bun. He couldn’t figure out why it was trendy (or what it meant for something to be trending on twitter) but it got his hair off his neck in the heat. 

Once he popped on his sunglasses and slid on his trainers, he was ready to go. He opted to skip wearing the gloves and just kept his left hand in his pocket. It was definitely risky, but the two were more comfortable in Bucharest. Nothing ever happened here. They were safe, free, and unnoticed. Most of all, they were happy.

“I can go by produce if you want to go by the deli? We can meet at the coffee cart on the corner?” He suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” she replied, handing him a few bills. “That should cover it.” She stood on her tippy toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. 

Kerrigan slid her sunglasses on, and pushed them into place with her middle finger. They walked together, hand in hand, down to the market. It was really convenient that they lived only two blocks away from the produce market. The deli was down another street, so they said a quick ‘see you in a bit,’ and got to there shopping. 

“Nu uita de prune!” Don’t forget the plums, she called after him.

He shook his head smiling. 

Bucky worked his way over to the fruit vendor, going straight for the plums first.

“Sunt bune?” Are they good? He asked the vendor. The man in the booth shook his head yes. “Voi lua șase atunci, mulțumesc.” I’ll take six then, thank you. Bucky handed over the appropriate amount of money. As he walked away from the booth, a rich type of happiness filled him up. He was still getting used to making his own choices, and was grateful that he could again. The feeling soon subsided when he saw a newspaper kiosk manager staring directly at him. 

Bucky looked from side to side - maybe he was staring at someone else - but the man kept looking down at the paper in front of him, then up to Bucky. Then he ran. Bucky walked over to the stand and read the front page of the paper: “Winter Soldier cautat pentru Bombardmentul din Viena.” The Winter Soldier wanted for Vienna Bombing.

Shit.

People were starting to look in the direction of the kiosk since the manager had bolted out from inside of it. Bucky turned around and headed straight back for the apartment, but not before looking down and noticing that the sleeve of his shirt had wedged up a little. An inch of silver was now visible. He pulled it back down with haste as his fast walk turned into a conspicuous jog. 

His mind went straight to Kerrigan. He had no way to contact her. He could only hope that she’d seen it too and was heading back to their place so they could pack up and leave. It was a shame they had the leave, he thought. Bucharest was turning into more of a home and less of a hideout.

The keys to their door rattled in his pocket as he ran up the six flights of stairs. He didn’t need to use them though - the door was cracked open. 

He pushed the door open quietly and snuck into the suite. A man in a blue suit carrying a shield was thumbing through their envelope of cash, fake I.D.s, fake passports, and Bucky’s notebooks where he started writing down everything he remembered with Kerrigan at his side, while talking to someone over communications. Bucky took off his sunglasses and set them down on the coffee table. The slight clink caused the man to turn around.

“You know me?” He asked.

“You’re Steve.” Bucky replied. He didn’t want to blow Kerrigan’s cover, even if his was already ruined. He played naive. “I read about you in a museum.”

“They’ve set the perimeter,” Sam interjected.

“I know you’re nervous. And you have plenty of reason to be. But you’re lying.”

Bucky swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly turning dry. “I wasn’t in Vienna. I don’t do that anymore.” He wanted to say that he had a life here, and that he was happy, but he couldn’t. It was on the tip of his tongue - Steve, I remember you! I remember everything! I missed you so much, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He fought even harder not to run over to Steve and hug him. He had to keep control. Now wasn’t the time for sentiment.

“Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they’re not planning on taking you alive.”

“That’s smart. Good strategy.”

“They’re on the roof, I’m compromised,” Sam said urgently.

“This doesn’t have to end in a fight, Buck.”

“It always ends in a fight.” He took a deep breath.

“Five seconds,” Sam said over comms.

“You pulled me out of the river. Why?” Steve noticed a woman’s I.D. peeking out from the pile, but didn’t give it a second thought. Bucky was his top priority, but his curiosity was getting the best of him.

“I don’t know.” Bucky lied through his teeth. He pulled him from the river because it was Steve. He knew him. He recognized him. Steve broke through his programming.

“Where is she?” Steve asked, knowing his time was running short.

“She?” Sam questioned.

“Kerrigan. Where is she?” Steve asked again.

“Not here.”

“Breach! Breach! Breach!” Sam yelled. A flash grenade flew through the window. Bucky kicked the grenade over to Steve who smothered it with his shield. The fight with German Special Forces ensued. It always ended in a fight.

“Buck, stop! You’re going to kill someone.” Steve said. Bucky twisted around him, flipping him onto his back like Kerrigan had with him before. He punched through the floor board to grab their ‘bug out bag.’

“I’m not gonna kill anyone.” 

Bucky made his way fighting past the officers in the stair well, until he finally broke free and left from an empty balcony to the roof below. He started running until he saw a man, clad in black, leap onto him, knocking him down. They both stood up, and started duking it out after the man extended the claws of his suit.

“Who the hell’s the other guy?” Sam asked Steve over comms again.

“About to find out.”

“I have eyes on Kerrigan.” Sam said, swooping down to the street below. 

Kerrigan spotted him, and took off running towards the apartment. She read the newspaper minutes before and was already heading back. Her foot speed was no match for Sam’s carbon finer wings. He flew past civilians and grabbed her under her arms.

“Let go of me, Wilson!” She just about pried herself loose from his grasp, but he was gaining height. 

“You might want to think twice.”

She scanned beneath them. They were about to pass over a building when she saw Bucky. “Okay, I thought about it.” Without giving him any warning, she pulled herself from his grasp and fell. She landed into a roll on the roof almost into a line of bullets streaming down from the helicopter. If it weren’t for Sam kicking it out of play, she’d have been shot.

“Glad you could join the party,” Bucky ran towards her, grabbing her hand. They took a running leap off the side of the building and landed on the street below. The copter gained its momentum back and was laying fire down too close for comfort.

“Come on!” She lead the jump down to the underpass where they only took a moment to stop after causing a car to swerve, missing them by feet. Steve and Sam were close behind. Bucky saw the bike first.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” He asked her.

“Probably not, but I’ll follow your lead.” 

Bucky grabbed the handle of the bike as it passed, knocking the driver off and sending him flying across lanes of traffic. As he turned it around, Kerrigan caught on, swinging her leg over the side and holding onto him for dear life. 

The Black Panther was gaining on them. He jumped, scratching at the wheel causing the bike to spin out, causing Bucky and Kerrigan to skid onto the ground. He was about to jump at Bucky, but Steve intercepted him. Then they were surrounded. 

Red and blue lights flashed around the underpass. The gig was up. War Machine landed, holding up his arc reactor powered hands. “Stand down, now.” 

Kerrigan raised her hands in surrender. Bucky kept his at his sides. Steve stowed his shield on his back and placed his hands up. 

“Indiferent ce se întâmplă, știu că te iubesc,” No matter what happens, know I love you. Kerrigan said so quietly that only Bucky could hear.

“Si eu te iubesc.” I love you too.

German Special forces moved in, bringing Bucky to his knees, then to the ground. Steve, Sam, and eventually Kerrigan were handcuffed. No one put up a fight. 

“Congratulations, Cap. You’re a criminal.”


	2. When the Levee Breaks (and You Have a Place To Go)

**Berlin, Germany.Joint Counter Terrorist Centre, A division of the CIA. 2016 - present day.**

No one spoke in the van. The awkward silence was suffocating, and someone wasn’t putting up with it.

“So, you like cats?”

“Sam.” Steve shook his head out of embarrassment and disapproval. That didn’t mean he wasn’t curious.

“What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat and you don’t wanna know more?”

Kerrigan, who was sitting behind the Wakandan royalty with her head propped up by her hand, noticed how he kept his shoulders square and stoic. He turned his head slightly when he answered Steve’s questions.

“And now because your friend murdered my father, I now wear the mantle of king.”

Her stomach churned. Something here was very wrong. They had been in Bucharest for almost a year, and hadn’t left. Whoever bombed Vienna wasn’t Bucky, and she was the only one who didn’t doubt his innocence. But, she stayed silent.

The SUV parked inside the garage at the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre, a division of the Central Intelligence Agency. Steve was the first to get out. Kerrigan stalled until the last possible moment - that being when a heavily armed agent opened the door and beckoned her outside. She kept her eyes glued to the floor. She didn’t want to be identified, but it was only a matter of time - she was no stranger to the Berlin offices.

“What’s going to happen to him?” Steve asked a shorter gentleman who was approaching them. Sharon Carter was close behind.

“Same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition.”

Kerrigan looked up. She knew that voice.

“Apparently the same should happen to me as well, because I’m either seeing a ghost, or someone who was reported dead is now standing in front of me.”

Kerrigan moved forward and shook hands with Ross. “It’s good to see you , Commander. And you too, Sharon.”

“This is Deputy Task Force Commander, Everett Ross,” Sharon introduced, stealing glances at the woman she though perished two years before.

“What about a lawyer?” Steve asked again. He wasn’t playing around.

“Lawyer. He’s funny. See their weapons are placed in lockup.”

Kerrigan caught Bucky’s gaze from his prison pod. They exchanged pained smiles before he looked away. He looked so small and shattered, strapped into his seat. They both knew he had the strength to free himself, but there was no point in fighting back now.

Ross lead the group upstairs and across the covered sky walk over the river.

“You’ll be provided with an office instead of a cell. Now, do me a favor - stay in it.”

Natasha came up from behind and walked in between Steve and Kerrigan. “For the record, this is what making things worse looks like.” She turned to Kerrigan. “Were you made?”

Kerrigan nodded. “I worked with Ross in Paris, and actually spent a few weeks here. And Sharon saw me too. But they don’t know me more than Agent Oliver.”

“What about the Reserve?” Nat asked, remembering that Steve outed the entire force as HYDRA.

“What? S.T.R.I.K.E.? Carter will vouch for me. I’ll probably have to come clean to her eventually.”

They entered a development floor, complete with offices and conference rooms.

“No. Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. Colonel Rhodes is supervising clean up.” Stark had his back turned to the group while he was staring to wrap up his conversation. Before they approached Tony, Nat turned to Steve and placed a finger on his chest.

“Try not to break anything while we fix this.” She turned away and tapped Tony on the shoulder. He turned around and mouthed to her “one second.”

“Consequences? You bet there’ll be consequences.” Tony gesticulated as his talked. “Obviously you can quote me on that ‘cause I just said it. Anything else?” A pause. “Thank you sir.” He pocketed his phone after hanging up.

“Consequences?” Steve repeated.

“Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted. I had to give him something.” Tony glanced around and did a quick head count. He of course knew Nat and Steve, and Wilson was familiar, but then his eyes settled upon Kerrigan.

“Tony, this is my friend, Kerrigan Oliver,” Nat started the introduction. “Kerrigan this is..”

“Tony Stark, it’s an honor, sir,” Kerrigan interrupted. They cordially shook hands.

“I’m glad I finally get to meet my, uh, what was it? Ah, _international tech consultant.”_ He winked. “Any friend of Romanoff’s, is a friend of mine.” He thought for a second. “Except for maybe Barton. He can be an ass.”

Nat elbowed him in the side.

“I’m not getting that shield back, am I?” Steve folded his arms over his chest.

“Technically, it’s the government’s property. Wings too.” Nat walked away, looking for a monitor sit behind.

“That’s cold.” Sam remarked.

“Warmer than jail.” Tony chided. He gestured for Rogers to follow him into an office. Kerrigan leaned back against the wall. Worry clouded her thoughts. Her and Bucky made a clean break and were living a quiet life. _Where did they go wrong?_

“So,” Sam settled next to Kerrigan. “Romania? I gotta ask, what was there?”

“Nothing. That was the point. No old S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra bases, and we both already knew the language.” She replied, looking straight ahead into the conference room where she could see Steve and Tony talking.

“And you’ve been there, how long now?”

“Just over a year.”

“And no long weekend trips or anything?”

She turned and looked Sam in the eyes. “No. We weren’t in Vienna if that’s what you’re getting at. The last time we crossed international borders was last spring when we entered Romania through Bulgaria.”

“Okay. You know, I just had to ask.”

“I know.”

They stood there for a moment, until their attention shifted back to Steve and Tony. Neither Sam nor Kerrigan could make out what they were saying, but the growing hostility was obvious.

“Hey, you two can come with me.” Sharon Carter walked them into another conference room. Sam took a seat, but Kerrigan remained upright. She was nervous. She hated to even think it, but if HYDRA was still operating undercover and if she was still allegiant, she’d have an out. But Kerrigan no longer had a safety net.

Sharon sat down across from Sam and held her head in her hands. Though she didn’t say anything, she was exhausted.

“I’m glad you made it out,” Kerrigan broke the silence.

“Yeah, I was one of the lucky ones.” Sharon reached for one of the water bottles at the center of the table.

“I heard about Peggy, I’m really sorry. I would’ve come to the funeral but…”

“But you were dead too. I went to your memorial,” Sharon said.

_There it was. The dreaded moment of awkward confrontation._

“You owe me an explanation. I know you were on S.T.R.I.K.E., and I know that they were all Hydra, yet you held your gun to Rumlow. Why?”

Kerrigan opted for the cleanest answer. “Fury assigned me an undercover op. To work within the ranks of the Reserve and report back.”

“Report back what?”

“Anything nefarious. Turns out the whole thing was.” Kerrigan shrugged casually, masking her growing discomfort. She swallowed hard, preparing to spin another story. “I was never Hydra - I just acted like I was.”

“Why didn’t you surface after the fall of the Triskelion?”

“I worked within Hydra. Once they realized I was no longer indoctrinated and was actively working against them - they would hunt me down. It was easier, and safer, for me to go underground.” She said. “Fury helped me develop a new cover. Then I was in the wind. Until now, that is.”

“And what were you doing with him?”

They turned and looked at the monitors. Through them, they could see Bucky sitting restrained in his pod. The room was empty, awaiting the arrival of the UN appointed psychiatrist.

“I owed him. I still do.”

Down in the fifth sub-level, the psychologist donned glasses and a cross-body bag that he took off as he sat down. “Hello Mr. Barnes. I’ve been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you. Do you mind if I sit?” Bucky sat still, just looking up.

“I’m not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are James? I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James.”

The door to the conference room opened, causing Sam, Sharon, and Kerrigan to turn their heads. It was Steve. His cheeks were flushed, hot with frustration. The door closed behind him. He stared at the screen, trying to read Bucky’s face for any hint of the man he once knew. Sharon caught his gaze and pressed a button on the monitor, changing the camera view, bring Bucky in center frame.

“My name is Bucky.”

Steve and Kerrigan looked at each other, then turned back to the screen. The gears in Steve’s head were turning.

“Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?” He asked.

“Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can,” Sharon replied.

“Right,” he looked down at Kerrigan. “It’s a good way to flush people out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. You got seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.”

“You’re saying someone framed him to find him?”

Sam spoke up. “Steve, we looked for them for two years, and came up _mostly_ empty.” He looked towards Kerrigan. She was too busy thinking to formulate a response. The entire situation was suspicious, she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

“We didn’t bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads.” Steve rationalized.

“Neither did we,” Kerrigan said softly. She’s sure Steve heard her, but he didn't acknowledge it.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that we would.” Sharon’s eyes narrowed on the monitor, watching the doctor as he continued his questions. Bucky was still unresponsive. It was like he was an entirely different person from this morning. He just shut down.

In an instant, the entire Joint Counter Terrorist Centre was flooded with darkness. Emergency lights flashed, illuminating the figures of Ross, Stark, and Romanoff.

“Come on guys, get me eyes on Barnes!” Ross was practically yelling.

Kerrigan shot out of her seat. “Where is he?”

“Sub-level five, east wing.”

Kerrigan, Sam, and Steve bolted from the conference room and went for the stairs. They ran full speed, Kerrigan leading the way.

“This way!” She turned the corner into an elongated office space. Soldiers were sprawled along the floor or slumped over desks. The trio slowed down and took in the scene of destruction.

“Help. Help me.”

They walked into the interrogation room slowly. Bucky’s pod was broken open, and the psychiatrist was in a heap. Steve picked him up and held him to the wall.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

The man looked Steve in the eye.

“To see an empire fall.”

Bucky, who was waiting by the door for any target, took a swing at Sam, then picked him up by the chin and flung him across the room like a rag doll.

“Bucky?” Kerrigan took a defensive position. He didn’t respond. His face was void of any emotion. “Okay, not Bucky.” He swung at her, but was intercepted by Steve. The two duked it out, all the way out of the room and down the hall. After disposing of Steve down an elevator shaft, Bucky made his way towards the front of the building, where he toed off against Nat, Tony, Sharon, and T’Challa.

Kerrigan rushed to Sam’s side. He was a bit dazed, but quickly collected his bearings enough to see the doctor run out from the room. Kerrigan turned and ran after him. She was close on his tail for some time, but once they reached the populated lobby, he shoved himself into the masses. She lost him.

Defeated, Kerrigan stopped and looked around, trying to take in every detail (and a breath) and to plan an appropriate response. The sound of Sharon’s voice caught her attention.

“A helicopter just went down into the river. We think it might’ve been him.”

Kerrigan jogged over into what looked like a cafeteria. Natasha and Sharon were talking indiscreetly while Tony sat up from the floor. Kerrigan approached and helped him up.

“Thanks. I knew I shouldn’t have worn such a nice suit,” he remarked, feeling the elbows of his jacket for any imperfections.

“It still looks good to me,” Kerrigan remarked. Tony raised his eyebrows at her and smiled. For not knowing her past basic introductions, he appreciated her quick wit. Nat and Sharon approached them. Sharon was holding a tablet displaying the map of the campus. A red dot pulsated at the river that split the campus.

“A J-SOC team already went out there. They didn’t recover anything more than a beat up chopper at the bottom,” Sharon concluded. “Ross is going to be _so_ pleased, Rogers, Wilson, and Barnes are in the wind.”

Nat turned to Kerrigan. “Do you know of anywhere they could’ve gone? A rendezvous place?”

She shook her head no.

Sharon sighed. “We should probably head back up to the command center. Ross might have something for us.”

As they walked upstairs, Sharon and Tony nursed various sore spots. If Nat was in any pain from the ordeal, she didn’t let on to it. Sharon didn’t slow down until she hit the catwalk, letting Tony and Nat walk in front of her. She was on her phone, checking her text messages, then she turned to show the screen to Kerrigan.

**Sharon - We could use our gear. And hopefully some friends. Tell Kilo Oscar that Bravo Bravo says he’s okay. We trust you, so please trust us.**

**18, 15, 21, 20, 5 - twelve - 21, 14, 4, 5, 18, 16, 1, 19, 19 -1, 19, 1 16**

**-Romeo and Whiskey**

“Phonetic Alphabet? He’s not being that subtle,” Kerrigan said quietly so only Sharon could hear.

“I don’t think he’s going for subtlety,” Sharon replied. “The only thing I don’t understand is the numbers.” The two slowed their pace, creating more distance between them and Nat and Tony.

“What’s our play?”

“Captain’s orders. We get their gear and get it to them, wherever they are.”

“And what about them?” Kerrigan looked ahead. They were getting closer to the command center.

Sharon tilted her head towards a side hallway. Kerrigan nodded. The two split away before anyone noticed.

“Their stuff is in lock up. I can go get it. Do you remember where the garage is?” Sharon asked. The two picked up the pace down the hallway.

“I’m sure I can figure it out.”

Sharon shoved a pair of keys into Kerrigan’s hand. “Find my car and wait there. Can you crack the number code?”

“I think I already did.”

They pulled over into a cut out.

“Each number corresponds to a letter, which is why the number twelve is spelled out with words. I’m pretty sure that they want to meet at the Route 12 Underpass, as soon as possible.”

“And you got all that by looking at it once?” Sharon asked, incredulously.

Kerrigan shrugged, “Photographic memory.”

“Alright then.” Sharon said. “We should get moving before they notice us ditching.”


	3. Halt and Catch Fire

“Miss Oliver! Going somewhere?” Everett Ross called after her. It had been a few minutes since her andSharon split up and were planning to meet downstairs. She stopped in her tracks and pivoted to face him.

“Nope, not going anywhere,” she smiled, though her internal monologue read _shitshitshitshitshit._

“Good. Let’s talk.” He tilted his head, indicating for her to follow. She walked a few steps behind him trying to formulate excuses and weave a story that would cover all her bases. Ross lead her back up to the main floor and past Tony and Natasha.

Tony, noticing that Kerrigan wasn’t looking so keen on engaging in a conversation with Ross, swooped in and placed his arm around her shoulder.

“How’s my _employee_ doing?” He said dramatically, causing Ross to turn.

“I have some questions for her, Mr. Stark, if you don’t mind,” Ross pressed.

“Actually, I require her assistance on a time sensitive project.” Tony cut him off.

Ross crossed his arms. “On whose authority?”

“Secretary Ross. He gave us thirty-six hours to bring in our old teammates, and seeing that we’re a bit short staffed, we need all hands on deck.” Stark said.

Ross took a deep breath, then pointed at Kerrigan. “Fine, but we’re having a discussion when you get back.”

“Naturally,” Kerrigan said. Ross turned away towards the command center. They could hear him asking around for Sharon Carter. Kerrigan smirked, but kept her mouth shut.

“Alright,” Tony turned her into a conference room. “You need to sign these.” On the table was a thick book labelled the Sokovija Accords, and a very expensive looking pen set.

Kerrigan sat down in front of the book and flipped through some of the pages. It was a compilation of legal documents and statutes. “Why? What is this?”

“Bureaucratic appeasement. Gives the UN the ability to oversee the Avengers,” Tony said, sitting down across from her.

“But I’m not an Avenger…”

“Not until you sign,” he raised an eyebrow waiting for her response

Kerrigan wasn’t expecting that. “Me? An Avenger?” Her voice was laced with disbelief.

“From what Romanoff told me, you’re a great asset,” he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his aching left arm.

“What else did Natasha tell you?” Kerrigan folded her arms over her chest.

“That you’re trustworthy. The top in your field. Reliable. Used to work for Fury before S.H.I.E.L.D. fell,” He paused. “And that you’ve been juicing on a bit of super soldier serum. No threat meant, but it’s only a matter of time before the press gets a hold of that. The Accords will protect you.”

“I’m not planning on announcing my identity to a conference room full of journalists.”

He smirked, remembering back to his _I am Iron Man_ moment. Kerrigan skimmed over a few pages of the document and toyed with the idea of joining the team.

“So what would this change?” Kerrigan asked.

“You’d be instated as an Avenger, move into the compound with the team,” Tony listed. “Big life changes.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“You’re funny, you know that?” Tony chuckled and slid her the pen box. She picked one up and twirled it around in her hand and turned to the flagged pages in the book. Kerrigan moved her hand to sign - what else did she have to lose? Wait. She had one thing. She looked back up at Tony.

“What about him?”

“Barnes?”

She nodded.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Kerrigan set the pen down on the open page, not wanting to make a binding legal commitment without a more concrete idea of what was going to happen to Bucky.

He sighed. “Fine. I’ll put a good word, make sure he gets a fair trial, comfortable living arrangements and so on.”

“He’s not a criminal.”

“If that’s what the jury decides.”

She scoffed.

Tony leaned in. “I know about your international charade. I know you’ve been through the ringer the past few years, hell, we all have. I’ll do everything in my power to swing the odds in your favor because I need you on my team.”

Kerrigan sighed. She knew she was in deep shit. As much as she didn’t want to leave Bucky high and dry, but this seemed like the best course of action - at least for right now. Her allegiance would always be to Bucky, not an organization with agendas. She tucked her hair behind her ears preparing to yet again submerge herself into a double agent act, then picked up the pen again. In a swift motion, signed her name on the dotted line.

“Great!” Tony clasped his hands together. “Let’s get going. Lots do do, places to go, et cetera.” He stood up.

“Wait, where are we going?”

“Back state side for a hot minute,” he smiled excitedly. “We’re picking up a new recruit, in Queens.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short update, but I have a lot of relationship/plot building to go through in upcoming chapters so I need to break up the Civil War plot a bit. As always, thank you for reading. :)


	4. Halt and Catch Fire (Part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all -   
> So I've decided to remove the inter-chapters that flash back to the two year gap between TWS and now. I'll probably upload those in a separate work at a later time. Any pertinent info from that time period will be included via shook flashback or subtle mention.

Kerrigan shifted nervously in her seat. Not only was she sitting across from Tony Stark, but she was also heading back to the United States. She wasn’t on the most wanted lists or anything, but she was on the list of the end after the Battle of the Triskelion and if she was remembering correctly, faking your death in any capacity was a still a felony - “hero,” or not.

The jet took off. It might’ve actually been the smoothest take off she had experienced as a passenger, and she might’ve actually appreciated had it not been for the circumstances.

Tony studied the micro-expressions of her face. “What? Don’t like planes?” He asked.

“Planes are fine,” she replied. “I’m just not looking forward to landing.”

Tony crossed his legs. “So, tell me about yourself. I only know the little bit that Natasha told me about you being a former Agent and all.”

“I’m actually really boring, in all honesty.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“I’m being serious,” she laughed.

“Come on, humor me,” Tony said. “It’s just us here.”

She shrugged. “I don't know.”

“This is going to be a long two hours,” Tony chuckled. “What did you do before you worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“I was recruited straight out of college,” she started. “Wait, you said two hours? Last time I checked, it took a lot longer that two hours to get from Berlin to New York.”

“My engine is state of the art,” he smiled. “So, college?”

“M.I.T. Double majored in Bio-Tech and Brain and Cognitive Sciences”

“Not bad, not bad,” Tony said. “I’m an M.I.T. man myself.”

“I know.” She turned to look out the window. The cities were a blur below. She had lost all sense of time - crossing several time zones will do that to you - and her stomach sank. Their backpack, that had an emergency stash of her miracle drug, was in CIA lock up, unless Sharon grabbed it. Either way, her medication was in Germany and she was crossing over the Atlantic. She wondered how long it as going to take before she started showing symptoms.

Tony pulled up an interface from Friday. “Huh, and you graduated Summa Cum Laude. No wonder S.H.I.E.L.D. scooped you up.”

_Yeah, that had absolutely nothing to do with my father and his meddling_ , she thought. “If you can just look me up, why bother asking me anything?”

“I like talking,” Tony shrugged. “How’d you meet Barnes? He doesn’t seem like the crowd someone like you would be running with.”

Kerrigan bit her tongue. “Fury.” She lied. Tony wouldn’t understand. At least not right now.

He nodded - accepting ‘Fury’ as an adequate answer for his inquiry. Kerrigan yawned.

“Sleepy already?” Tony jested.

“I’ve had a long day.”

He got up out of his seat. “Go on, kid, take a nap. I’ll go sit over there and play Galaga or something.”

“Thanks,” she smiled. He started to turn away before she began speaking again, “And Stark- I’m not a kid.”

“Whatever you say,” he winked, then moved towards the other end of the cabin.

Kerrigan shifted back in her seat and got comfortable. She propped her head in her hand and leaned against the plane wall, quickly drifting off.

_“You remind me of him, from before.” Bucky said._

_She sat back and looked at him confused._

_“Like Steve. When he was smaller, he was sick all the time.”_

_“Huh, I’m glad I..” Kerrigan retched into the toilet again._

_“You’re okay,” Bucky came over to her to hold her hair back. He started rubbing small circles into her back, just like he had seventy some years ago with Steve. “When did that guy say he was sending more meds for you?”_

_Kerrigan wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her shirt. “I don't know, maybe tomorrow? In his last message he said it would be sometime this week.”_

_She retched again._

_“I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last like this,” she said softly, resting her head on his shoulder._

“Kid, _kid,_ ” Tony reached out, placing his hand on her shoulder. She awoke with a start, not even remembering falling asleep. “We’re about to land.”

She looked around, reentering herself; she wasn’t in the bathroom of the French apartment her and Bucky laid low in for weeks, she was on Stark’s plane.

“Okay, here’s the game plan.” He resumed his same seat from earlier.

An hour later, Tony, Kerrigan, Happy Hogan, and an overeager Peter Parker were boarding the jet.

“Did you get hold of Finch?” Happy asked Tony quietly.

“She says not taking sides. She signed the accords, but she said she’s retired now,” Tony said.

“How can an eighteen year old retire?” Happy asked.

They sat across from one another. Tony caught Peter and Happy up with everything that happened since he had arrived in Germany. Kerrigan zoned out for the most part, but something was gnawing at the back of her mind: _who the hell is Finch?_

“Who the hell is Finch?” _Shit._ She said it out loud.

Tony looked surprised by her sudden question - she had been mostly quiet since they landed initially. “Uh, Finch is an interesting girl,” Tony said.

“Girl? I thought Parker was the youngest - which don’t even get me started on bringing a minor to the adults’ table…”

“Finch just turned eighteen, so she’s technically not a minor anymore,” Tony her off. “And she's got mind tricks of her own, so she’s playing on a level field with us. Anyway,” he turned to Peter, “I don’t want you anywhere near this. Keep your distance and web ‘em up.”

“Yes sir.”

“Stark, where are we going?” She asked.

“Back to Germany. The tracker I put in Cap’s shield says they’re going to an airport in Leipzig. The rest of our team is on their way already.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooo I name dropped another OC. Finch will come into play in a later work ;)


End file.
